Broken hearts
by Phantom Amethyst
Summary: Helga left... How did it affect our poor Arnold?
1. Ashley

"_I really love you, Arnold," Ashley sighed blissfully as they watched the sunset together after another make-out session. Arnold tensed when she said this and looked away. An awkward silence followed and he cleared his throat as he felt her gaze on him. He knew she expected him to reply with an 'I love you too', but he just couldn't._

"_Well?" She asked unsure, loosening his grip on her waist as she made a little space between them._

"_Um, thanks," Arnold shrugged, still avoiding her eyes._

"_That's all? Arnold, we've been dating over four months – do you still JUST like me?" She asked._

"_No," Arnold said quietly._

"_You love me, then?" Ashley asked; a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she tried searching for his hidden eyes again._

"_No!" Arnold said too quickly. He realized his impulsive mistake as he saw her hurt expression and back paddled, "I mean… Just give me some time. You know I don't really _do _love, baby," Arnold grunted, feeling confused._

"_Yet here we are after four months," She pressed, looking sarcastically thoughtful._

"_Yes, but," Arnold paused, trying to find the right words. After failing he settled for, "I'm really trying…" He sighed. This brunette girl next to him was serious – he was too, of course, he really, really, REALLY wanted to give her his heart, but he just couldn't. He just couldn't afford yet another heartbreak. _

_First it was his parents, Lila, then Ruth, Helga left after that, and finally his grandparents died – first his grandmother, then his grandfather, a sign of true love. Everyone he ever loved had left him and stolen from his heart. Out of everyone who had hurt him, Helga had hurt him the most. Not her bullying, he had gotten over that. But the day she left, he almost gave up on love, hope, trust and the bright side of everything. _

_Then a year after that, his grandmother had gotten sick – she was on her deathbed. Two short hours after she had passed away, his grandfather's heart stopped beating. That night Arnold considered suicide. It was the lowest point in Arnold Shortman's life. Alas, his wound had gotten better over the years, but it never truly healed. He started dating again. But the second that the girl expected him to love her; he dumped her, scared that she would also hurt him. So he stopped things before they ever could. This led to Hillwood High's pupils deciding that he was unbelievably hot, smart, calm, and a total heartbreaker. Sure, this lead to a very lonely life, but he was used to it, and he had all his friends and Gerald at his side._

_She rolled her eyes, "Come on, just say it. Then you'll have permission to roam my body… naked… you can do whatever you want to!" She grinned and licked his cheek._

_He distanced himself farther away from her, feeling utterly disgusted. The gossipers could believe what they want, but Arnold still had his moral values. He didn't at all believe in sex before marriage, as his grandfather had taught him to. "You know what, Ashley? Thank you."_

"_For?" She asked innocently. He stood up and she followed suit. _

"_Showing me that we're just… not gonna work out." He chuckled at looked her in the eyes for the first time. She had the expected facial expressions. Hurt… shock… anger... yep, everything was there. "Sorry, Ashley, but we're over," He braced himself for what was about to happen. He closed his eyes as he felt the all too familiar sting of a female's hand crash into his cheek as she slapped him – hard. He grunted and reached for his cheek. That hurt like hell, he decided, a little amused. He opened his eyes again to find her wailing in tears. He rolled his eyes. He left before he cracked and gave her a hug, assuring her that everything would be alright, that this was, in fact, not the end of the world. He hated it when girls cried in front of him, he just couldn't stand it. As he climbed onto his motorcycle and raced off, he prayed that she wouldn't be following him. He would have to avoid her for a few weeks. He should've felt a little bad that his relationship was over, but he felt rather relieved that his heart was still beating – a sign that it was not broken._


	2. Veronice

Today was the day; the day that Helga G. Pataki would be entering Hillwood High for the first time. She took a deep breath, overwhelmed by this fact. She looked into the oversized mirror in her pink room, inspecting herself critically. She held a picture of herself in her hand. The picture was of her and Arnold, sadly looking at each other. That was the day she left Hillwood, to go live with her sister in California. She was in the sixth grade.

She looked from the photo to the mirror to the photo again. She changed so much, in more than one way. Her appearance, for instance, had changed drastically. Gone were the unibrow, pig-tails, scowling thin lips, puny body and pink ribbon. In its place was a stunning, breathtakingly beautiful young woman at seventeen. She turned sideways, revealing a flat firm tummy and filled out breasts at the form. Her hair was long and wavy with pink highlights in.

She had strong cheekbones, reflecting her strong personality. She was kind, even loving at times with those who she cared about. She did a total 180 in middle school. She started leaving the snide remarks and comments alone. No-one at her new school, Middle Port, thought that she was a monster or a bully. On the contrary, she was pretty popular, but all around innocent. All the guys were after her, for obvious reasons. She was beautiful (though most guys considered her sexy), feisty, smart, but most of all, she was unapproachable. That little fact set her apart from most of the other girls.

Her big blue eyes that seemed innocent enough checked herself over for the last time before she left the apartment to meet up with Phoebe. Olga had already left for her new job at P.S 118 as a sixth grade teacher. She decided that a simple dark blue jean and a red tank top was the way to go for the first day of her junior year. She checked her black watch and realized that she was late. She cursed silently and grabbed her backpack. She raced down the stairs and opened the door out of breath. She walked to Phoebe and… Gerald? This was unexpected.

"Hey Phoebe. Uh, Gerald?" Helga smiled confused. Her stunning smile sent Gerald into frenzy, even though he only had eyes for his Phoebe. Helga was smokin'. He _had _to admit that obvious fact, even though he didn't want to. Her perfect straight white teeth were intimidating enough. Her body was worse. She could easily pass for a model, no doubt about it.

"Hello, Helga!" Phoebe didn't look at all surprised at seeing her best friend from years ago. She just looked pleased and excited. Helga smiled wider and gave Phoebe a firm hug. Helga had returned back to Hillwood with her sister a week before the summer had ended. Phoebe was at their new apartment in Upper Hillwood every day, and had promised to pick Helga up for the first day of school. Helga hadn't expected to see Gerald there too.

"Why are you here?" Helga's eyes faced Gerald. Gerald tried his best not to shrink in her view. She wasn't glaring; she was actually sporting a small smile. Everything about her was so damn intimidating.

"Uh…" Gerald's throat went dry.

"Oh," Phoebe giggled, answering for him, "my car broke down with mechanical difficulties yesterday. So I asked Gerald to give us a ride."

"Oh okay. Cool. Let's go. I think we're gonna be late," Helga shrugged and checked her watch again. They nodded and the trio climbed into Gerald's black convertible. Gerald was uneasy the whole trip. He knew she was coming, but never did he think she'd be that _hot._ He wasn't in a rush of emotions. If anything, he was lacking emotion, but Phoebe was happier than usual, so he didn't mind one bit. The two girls were chatting away anonymously about random stuff he didn't really care about.

"So, when exactly did you two hook up?" Helga asked, noticing their intertwined hands. She smirked good-naturedly as they went red.

"It was the summer of grade seven, and it was a real hot day. I-" Phoebe began, but was cut off by the school bell ringing as they drove in by the school's parking lot. Gerald hadn't noticed that he had been speeding more than usual, so that resulted in them being their earlier than expected.

"Tell me at the cafeteria, when Gerald's around again," Helga said and hopped out of the car, not bothering to open the door. She waited patiently for Phoebe to say her goodbyes to her boyfriend, and they headed quickly for the office, before the second bell rang. As Gerald got his school bag, he realized that she hadn't once asked about Arnold. He knew about Helga's huge crush back in fourth grade. He shrugged it off and went to find Arnold.

As luck would have it, Phoebe got assigned the job of showing Helga around. She had the first two classes with Phoebe, to which Helga was grateful. The two friends made their way to the first class that Helga had alone, and Phoebe had to leave her side for the first time that morning. Phoebe promised that she would be just outside the door when the bell rang again, signaling break time. Helga was expecting the stares in this class, as she had in the last two periods. She wasn't disappointed.

The boys were staring at her while their teacher, after introducing her, began explaining what they were going to do in the first few weeks. She noticed some girls just shrugging her off, but some kept giving her intrigued glances. Helga focused on what the teacher said and made notes, trying to ignore the stares.

"Wow, Phoebes, that was exhilarating," Helga chuckled. Phoebe was used to this cheerful Helga, but she wasn't sure how long it would last.

Phoebe nodded, smiling as she caught sight of Gerald and Arnold heading their way. "Don't look now, Helga, but here comes Arnold." Helga froze in place, her heart momentarily stopping. She took a deep breath, and turned around to face them. She was gob smacked, but she looked stable. In reality, she was having a hard time breathing. She had forgotten about the dweeb. How, she still pondered on, but she guessed with all the new friends, school work and her new life just kept her too busy to think about him. Slowly over the months he became a distant memory.

Helga also dated quite a few guys, so she later stopped thinking about Arnold completely. At first Helga thought it would be hell without him, and it was, for the first few months. But time healed her broken heart without that she noticed. But seeing him again took her by surprise. The rush of emotions was overwhelming, and she grasped at Phoebe's arm, a little too tightly.

Phoebe winced, but didn't say a word, knowing that her friend needed her now more than ever. They were getting closer now, and Helga could drink in his body without looking suspicious. He was tall, lean and fit. His blond hair was wildly hanging in every direction possible, yet it looked perfect in a messy way. His red shirt fit comfortably, and she noticed that he had some muscle.

"_Humph… no more puny body, I guess," _Helga smirked. He was taller than she was; almost a head taller. _"Bonus point there." _His blue jeans fitted loose on his body. His hands were tucked into his jean pockets, as if he didn't have a care in the world. They were nearing closer, and Helga's heart began beating faster. He had an aura surrounding him; a real badass one. Helga cursed, because she knew she always fell for bad boys. She could've sworn that everybody in that hall could hear her loud beating heart.

In short, Arnold was the sexiest guy that she had ever seen. And she wasn't the only one who thought so, apparently, when she heard two girls sigh near the corner as they also looked at him with dreamy looks in their eyes. Helga smirked. His luscious green eyes searched her body and her face just as she had been doing to him.

Arnold was completely blown away. This girl that he was walking towards, was _Helga_? He couldn't believe it. It sent shivers down his spine, and for the first time in a long time, Arnold felt himself smiling a small smile in public. She was really beautiful, with wavy blond hair with pink highlights, and her blue eyes looked confused for a moment, before being lit up by a smirk, which made her all the more attractive. She was fairly tall, but still shorter than him. He didn't forget to glance at her figure, and he was satisfied at seeing her thin, but sporty body.

She stood with grace, patiently waiting for him and Gerald to approach them. A guy walked past Arnold and intentionally bumped into Helga and said sorry with a sly grin, pinching her ass. Arnold surprised himself when he felt a low growl form in his throat. He was about to curse that guy, who was Tommy Johnson, in front of everyone, but Helga beat him to the punch.

"Hey! Try that again and see what'll happen, got it?" Helga snarled, sporting an immensely angry look. She lightly pushed him farther away from her and huffed. Arnold chuckled as he heard her mutter, "Asshole," under her breath. He felt almost satisfied that she was the same Helga. Sure, she was really beautiful, and he was sure that most guys would classify her as downright sexy, and she had a calmer tone, but she still had the fierceness that made her unique.

"Hey, baby," Gerald greeted, giving Phoebe a small peck and encircling her small waist.

"Hello Gerald," Phoebe smiled, but glanced at Helga. Gerald followed her gaze and saw that she was staring at Arnold shamelessly. Gerald looked at Arnold, and realized that he was looking just as intently at Helga. The two blonds stood like that for quite a while, before Helga snapped out of it, blushed and looked down.

"Hey," She said coolly, and looked up right into his eyes. It startled her the way he was intensely staring at her, as if he was trying to figure her out. He was probably trying real hard, because he got a frustrated look in his eyes. "How've you been?" She spoke more boldly. No way was he going to make her look like an idiot through his good looks. When he didn't answer her, she scoffed, but grasped onto Phoebe's arm a little tighter, feeling nervous and intimidated by his stare. "Fine, don't answer. Phoebes, can we go now? I'm really hungry and I want to sit down."

Phoebe nodded and turned to Gerald, "We'll meet you at our table-"

She was cut off by Helga, snorting, "No! I don't want to sit by _him_," She nodded towards Arnold, without looking at him. Arnold was bewildered by this. How could she act like he was nothing? How could she just shrug him off? _"Fine," _Arnold thought, _"If she wants to play dirty, then so will I."_

"Oh, well, okay, um, Gerald, Arnold, if you don't mind?" Phoebe nervously asked, looking uncomfortable. This would be the first time the she wouldn't eat with Gerald. It made her a little uneasy, but she chose to stay with Helga.

Gerald shrugged, but looked a bit confused. Arnold snorted, "I wouldn't mind less," He murmured darkly, sending a glare towards Helga.

She replied by rolling her eyes. "Come on, Phoebes. Oh and by the way, Arnold, don't snort when you're sick. It sounds gross," She chuckled and walked past him, barely touching him. But when she did touch him lightly with her elbow, it sent shivers down his spine. Phoebe hurriedly followed her best friend, not saying a word.

Arnold froze in spot, not even blinking. Gerald burst out in laughter, doubling over, "Man Arnold, she got you there!" Arnold growled, but his cheeks turned a light shade of red. "Shut up, Gerald. That girl is going to pay, just you wait." Gerald looked up, and noticed his best friend's blush.

"Wow, look at that. Arnold Shortman is _blushing_ for the first time in years. And Helga G. Pataki caused it in a matter of moments," He chuckled and started walking towards the cafeteria, knowing that Arnold was following him. He and Arnold got their food and sat by their usual table. When Arnold noticed that Helga and Phoebe hadn't taken their table, his eyes roamed the big room in search for them.

The sight that he found startled him. Helga G. Pataki was sitting with Phoebe at Rhonda's table, with all the popular girls. It took months to earn your spot at that table, and Helga did it in a few short minutes. She was laughing at Rhonda, probably at something that she said. Phoebe had her spot there automatically reserved since she came from P.S 118 and she was friends with Rhonda. Arnold tried to get a better look at what Helga was eating, but his view was cut off by his girlfriend's stomach as she stood in front of him.

"Baby, why didn't you call last night?" Veronice cooed in a small voice, playing with his shirt's collar.

"Sorry… I was busy," Arnold replied, snapping out of the trance that Helga had unknowingly put on him. He growled, _"What the…!"_

"That's too bad." Veronice cut his thoughts short, giggling. Arnold noticed that Helga was looking his way, and she was scowling at the blonde who was his girlfriend. Knowing that he had Helga's attention was overwhelming, and he took action without knowing it. He drew Veronice closer, smirking as her breath was caught in her throat. He playfully teased her, placing butterfly kisses up and down her neck. She giggled. Out the corner of his eyes he saw Helga glare darker and darker at his girlfriend. He smirked evilly and placed his lips on hers and started making out with her. In one of the kisses he opened his eyes and saw Helga dash out the cafeteria with a scowl on her seductive red lips. He instantly pulled away from Veronice, unable to hide a satisfied grin.

Veronice was left breathless at Arnold's side as she clutched onto the table. Arnold carefully observed the door which Helga used to flee, and waited; almost hoped that she would return. No such luck. He gave up and tuned out his girlfriend's endless babble. Finally, Gerald interrupted her, "Hey Veronice, I think your friends just called you."

"They did? I'll be right back!" She giggled again and left the two boys alone.

"Man, Arnold, what was that?" Gerald asked, his tone hinting disapproval.

"What was what?" Arnold played with his food, while glaring at the tray.

"You never do such things in public!" Gerald scolded, "You're private man, after…" Gerald paused, not quite knowing how to say it, and settled for, "everything, you don't do anything meaningful in public. Now you're makin' out with your girlfriend in front of everyone!"

Arnold just shrugged and stabbed his food harder, "And your point is?" He actually smiled and directed it to Gerald. Gerald chuckled and rolled his eyes, "My point is, I saw how you checked Helga out every few minutes. You just used your girlfriend of one month to make somebody jealous you just met again today."

Arnold scoffed, but realized that Gerald was telling the truth. He had felt such pleasure when he saw how jealous Helga got of his girlfriend, and he used it to his advantage. He couldn't help it. When Helga had fled he had stopped touching Veronice completely. He felt awful and he looked down.

"You're playing with fire, man, and you're gonna get burned." Gerald said quietly.

Gerald's voice stayed in Arnold's mind the rest of the day, haunting him in every class. _"You're playing with fire, man, and you're gonna get burned."_ He groaned and aggressively scribbled in his book, not bothering to pay attention to his arts teacher. When he snapped out of it by a bird that flew past the school, he looked down and was astonished to find that he had Helga's name all over the page. He tore it out angrily and crushed it in his palm. He sighed relieved when he realized that the bell rang for the last time that day and bolted out of the classroom before anyone else could.

He quickly headed to his bike in sheer desire to get out of that damned place. He stopped in his tracks when he saw a blond girl leaning on his bike for support, admiring the motorcycle. When he slowly reached her, he waited for her to notice him. After a minute passed by and she still ignored him, he cleared his throat, crossing his arms in a hostile way.

"Oh, hey Football Head," Helga smiled up at him.

"It's Arnold," Arnold scowled and looked away.

"Jeez, okay, if you don't want to reminisce about the good old days, then fine," Helga snapped, but almost casually. Arnold thought about that for a moment. The good old days were really the best times of his life. Two years ago his life turned into a living hell, and now his life was still hell, but now it was more bearable. His life was like a bearable hell without the burn, but with everything else hell had to offer. He smirked darkly at this.

"You like smirking, don't you?" Helga interrupted his thoughts with a gentle tone. Her tone surprised him, and he realized he had been staring at her lips. She looked away uncomfortably, noticing his gaze. He shook his head lightly, as if trying to shake off the thoughts of her lips that had been roaming his head.

"You should leave. Phoebe's waiting for you," Arnold gently nodded towards Phoebe, who was continuingly waving to get Helga's attention.

"I know," Helga simply nodded.

"Then leave. She's getting impatient," Arnold said calmly.

"No," Helga growled, her lip snarling. Arnold wasn't used to not getting his way. In anger he moved closer to her, cornering her further into his motorbike.

"Why not?" Arnold asked, glaring at her. They didn't notice the small gap between them.

Helga stayed silent, but kept his gaze with a fierce one of her own. After a moment, she calmly answered, "I'm trying to figure you out, but you're making it real damn hard." She scowled and left, leaving Arnold with his thoughts.

She hopped into Gerald's convertible and in a calm voice, said, "Drive."

Arnold watched as they raced out of the parking lot, angry with himself. He tried real hard not to be rude, but with Helga it was just too easy. He had heard about Helga returning to Hillwood yesterday. Hell, everybody knew she was coming. So it wasn't such a huge shock when he saw her that morning. He had planned to get back at her for all those years that she had tormented him when they were kids. He was expecting her to be overweight (why, he didn't know), mean, with the unibrow in a pink dress with a red stripe like when she was younger.

But Helga was, without a doubt, a blond bombshell. She was gorgeous, but it didn't seem like she knew that. But she did have a confident aura surrounding her, probably from living with Olga. She had a tan that complimented her rich blond hair. Her blue eyes were deeper than the Atlantic Ocean, and it looked to him like she changed for the better. She had lost that bully side of her, without losing her Pataki fierceness. Arnold realized he had a lovesick expression and snapped out of it. He scowled and climbed onto his red and black motorbike, put his black helmet on and raced out of the parking lot too.


	3. Seth

The weeks went by and Arnold and Helga avoided each other as much as possible. They were forced to eat together for the sake of their two friends, but that was the only time that they had to tolerate each other.

"Ugh, is the cafeteria's staff always this retarded to make such impossible inedible food choices?" Helga asked disgusted as she picked up a spinach roll with her forefinger and thumb, taking a closer look at it. Arnold, who was chatting with Gerald, looked at Helga and arched an eyebrow. She looked so innocent, like a small child, who refused to eat something. She stuck her tongue out and held the piece of food a little farther from her face. "Come on, this spinach roll reeks…" She sniffed it once again and covered her mouth with her free hand, afraid she would throw up.

"Um, Helga, hate to burst your bubble, but… That's a tuna roll," Gerald said, having trouble keeping his chuckle under wrap. Arnold grinned wider and rolled his eyes. Looks like no-one bothered to let her know of the poisoning food. Helga's eyes widened, and she dropped the piece instantly. "But, but, it's _green_!" Helga pointed an accusing finger at the inedible food. She was acting extremely childish, but she couldn't help it. She had already eaten one of these things and now she found out that they were abnormally colored.

"_She looks so cute…"_ Arnold thought as he softly smiled for a second, intently staring at her. Staring at Helga had become a hobby of his and he was unable to stop, even though he badly wanted to. Phoebe giggled, but pursed her lips together in an attempt to hide her amusement.

"Ugh! That's it, I'm done with this crap," Helga declared and stood up. She went over to the trashcan and threw the whole thing in it, tray and all. She came back and huffed as she sat, crossing her arms.

"Here," Arnold said in a quiet voice, and slid a chocolate bar across the table. She stopped it from falling off the round plastic table just in time and stared at it. She slid it back with a curt, "No thanks."

He slid it back to her and glared at her, but said nothing. She glared back, but accepted the chocolate bar anyway. She looked down and opened it. "Thanks," she said reluctantly.

He nodded, and smirked afterwards, ignoring Helga again like usual. Gerald and Phoebe had been witnessing the whole scene, but never said one word. They were too scared. After Arnold smirked, Gerald sighed relieved and started talking to him.

"So, Arnold, you still up for the-" He stopped mid sentence and looked in Helga's direction. Arnold followed his gaze and gripped his coke can double as hard. Seth Green was walking toward their table. Helga was chatting with Phoebe and she didn't even notice him standing behind her.

Seth was one of the most popular guys in school. He was handsome, tall, flirtatious, and he got every girl that he wanted. And there was the small fact of Arnold and Seth being enemies.

Phoebe nudged Helga lightly, and she looked up, to see Seth's gorgeous face staring down at her. Helga looked almost bored. "Oh. Hey," Helga said as she nibbled on Arnold's bar.

"Hello Sweet face, how are you on this fine day?" Seth asked, touching her shoulder. She swatted it away automatically. She hated if anyone she disliked touched her.

"Better without you…" She muttered, rolling her eyes. Arnold chuckled and looked down.

"Come again?" Seth asked, not sure that he heard right. It sounded like she insulted him. Maybe she did, but he was giving her a second chance to respond right.

"You heard me," She shrugged him off as he tried once again to touch her shoulder. He chuckled, but his face contorted into a dark glare in an instant. He sat next to her, with his arm around her shoulder.

"Seth, please just go-" She winced as he put pressure on her shoulder. Arnold stayed put, but it was real hard not to slug Seth.

"Seth, dude, leave her alone, would ya?" Gerald said, one of his eyebrows arching.

"Shut up, Johannson," Seth glared at Gerald.

Helga fumed, raised her left hand to where his hand was pinching her shoulder, grabbed his hand and twisted it without much effort. He yelped, but quickly covered it with a cough.

"You know, you're really getting on my nerves," Helga said, casually taking another bite out of Arnold's chocolate. When she swallowed, she looked at his pained face with a bored expression. She glanced at Phoebe Gerald and Arnold. The two boys were having a hard time containing their laughs. Phoebe was merely smiling.

"It's one little date. What could that hurt?" He asked, trying not to yelp again.

"To look into your face the whole damn evening – that would hurt!" Helga said.

"Just one, and then I'll leave you alone, I swear," He begged. Helga took the last bite of the chocolate bar and she contemplated it. Finally she gave a small nod, letting his hand go. "Fine, one date, and that's it. Then you leave me alone, got it? Pick me up tomorrow at seven sharp. DON'T be late," Helga said, "now be something else other than a dickhead and throw this away for me?" She shoved the wrapper of the chocolate bar into his hands and turned to Phoebe, starting conversation again, before she rudely got interrupted. He stood there for a second, not believing that she had actually said yes. He excitedly walked away and Helga rolled her eyes.

"Are you really going on a date with him?" Arnold asked quietly, not looking her in the eyes. Helga shrugged.

"Like he said, it's just one date. I think I can survive that," Helga smiled.

"Don't be so sure," Arnold warned. Helga glared at him and Phoebe sighed, knowing another fight between the two blondes was going to break out.

"Why should I believe you? Half the time you ignore me, and the other half you make a point to make my life miserable," Helga spat out venomously. Arnold winced, knowing that she was telling the truth. He _had_ been a jerk to her. He actually felt bad about it. He was about to apologize for everything that he did, when Veronice approached him. Helga groaned and stood up. She smiled at Phoebe with a soft, "I'll text you later." She nodded to Gerald and left without another word.

Arnold's mouth made a small 'o'. Helga had left, and she had left without greeting him. It wasn't even his fault! It was Veronice who came and ruined everything. For a moment, he wondered what 'everything' was. His fight with Helga? That meant nothing, he was sure of it. But the sheer thought of her not even wanting to spend some time at his table… it ticked Arnold off. He growled. Gerald noticed that his friend was about to do something drastic, and pulled Phoebe away from the table. Arnold noticed this and caught Gerald's gaze. He slightly smiled and nodded in thanks to his best friend. Gerald just grinned and draped his arm over a confused Phoebe's shoulder as they walked out of the cafeteria.

"Baby? Arnold!" Veronice slightly yelled, catching some of the kids' attention. He groaned and rolled his eyes. He hated when attention was brought to him. He faced her again, this time with a stern look.

"Veronice, I'm sorry, but it's over," Arnold smirked; his infamous sentence. Hurt… Shock… He mentally checked off all the emotions to be expected on her face. He sensed that she thought it was a joke. "_We're_ over." Ah, there was that anger, he mused, as the whole cafeteria froze in shock when a loud sound of a slap rippled through the air. He softly grunted, cursing in his mind. She stood up and flew to the door, all the while wailing through her tears.

Slowly but surely the buzz got louder as the scene got talked about.

"What was that?" Emily, another new girl, asked Rhonda, shock covering her facial expression.

Rhonda laughed deeply, "That, my dear, was Arnold over there breaking yet another girl's heart."

"He's hot," Emily said under her breath, her expression thoughtful.


	4. Arnold

"Man, Arnold?" Gerald laughed for the third time since Arnold had stopped at Gerald's house later that evening. Arnold rolled his eyes and threw a pillow towards Gerald with lightning speed. He caught it effortlessly and threw it back. Both boys were on the football team, thus had the ability to handle objects with grace.

"She bruised my cheek," Arnold groaned playfully. He laughed at Gerald's imitation of the blond. When he was with Gerald privately he let his guard down a whole lot. Gerald was one of the few persons, besides his aunt and uncle with who he lived with, who actually had access to see the real Arnold without his walls.

"Arnold my man, if I'm correct, that's _nine_ slaps _to date_!" Gerald laughed.

"Hey, it's not my fault. You know that," Arnold smiled, but his voice was quieter. He laughed as Gerald imitated more or less every girl that Arnold had left.

"Oh you're just ever so evil!" Gerald shrieked in his highest voice, pacing slowly on his toes, looking at his imaginable long fingernails and sighing dramatically. "What we had was _special_!" His deep voice broke at the high voice he was attempting. He clutched at his heart and looked up, trying to stop a fake sob. "You're such an assho -" Gerald was stopped by Kim, opening his door and staring at him with wide eyes. It took a second for her to burst into laughter. She shook her head and walked out the door. Gerald groaned as he heard her yell, "Mom! We've got another damn problem with that retard of ours. Gerald is gay!"

The two boys paused and heard Gerald's mom yell back, "LANGUAGE, KIMBERLEY GERTRUDE JOHANNSEN!" They burst out in laughter. Arnold imagined how red Kim was at this moment.

"That witch deserves it," Gerald said between laughter. They eventually stopped laughing and just chatted for a bit. "It's good to have you back, man," Gerald smiled.

Arnold squinted his eyes for a second, confused, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you laugh more. Longer. Harder," Gerald grinned toothily. "You smile more and you're in lighter moods."

Arnold scoffed, but smiled afterwards, realizing what his friend meant.

"Why?" Gerald asked suddenly, all traces of humor gone from his face. The question caught him off guard and he didn't know how to answer. Gerald grinned, "Does it have to do with a certain feisty blond that just came back?"

Arnold groaned, "No, she's nothing but a pain in my ass." He said. He prayed that Gerald would believe it. No such luck.

"Ouch man, is she _such_ a witch?" Gerald asked, daring Arnold with his eyes to lie again.

"No…" Arnold sighed.

"They're gonna see the new thriller tonight at eight," Gerald grinned, with a glint of mischief in his eyes. Arnold looked confused, but instantly clicked with a grunt. Gerald had gotten the details from Phoebe.

"I'm not gonna ruin her oh so special date!" Arnold scoffed, stubbornly crossing his arms.

"You'll be doing her a favor, and you know that," Gerald grinned. "Come on, Arnold! I really want to see that guy pee in his pants! After all, we hate him, remember?"

Arnold let the idea run through his head. He slowly began to smile and then a chuckle escaped his lips as the idea became more and more appealing.

Gerald didn't even give Arnold time to answer. He checked his watch again and beamed, "Come on, if we hurry, we'll catch them!"

Helga begrudgingly took her seat next to Seth and rolled her eyes as he grinned cheekily at her. She grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed her face with it. Her eyes darted towards her watch and groaned. The movie was just beginning and she was already regretting her decision to go on the date. Maybe Arnold was right. She sighed. He always was…

She snarled as she felt him reach for her hand. "Keep your hands to yourself!" Helga whispered harshly, glaring at him. He sighed irritated. This girl was really hard to figure out.

From where Arnold sat just two rows behind them, he chuckled, slightly relieved that Seth didn't have permission to touch her. No guy should have that stupid right.

Helga paused. She could recognize that chuckle from anywhere, even if she only remembered it vaguely. She slightly turned her head and saw none other than Arnold whispering something to Gerald a few rows back. She smirked. This was going to be an interesting night.

"I'll be right back, I need to use the little ladies' room," Helga whispered to Seth and stood up. She climbed the stairs, smirking as she grabbed Arnold's hand and yanked him out his seat and dragged him out the theater.

Once they were outside Arnold cursed under his breath. Helga stood in front of him with an amused yet curious expression etched onto her face.

"Well?" She asked.

"Coincidence, idiot," Arnold shrugged. He started walking back to the door but once again got yanked back to where Helga stood. He glared, "Stop doing that!"

Helga smirked playfully, "Why? Are you afraid that I'm stronger than you?" It had nothing to do with what they were discussing, but Helga felt the need to tease him.

"No," Arnold answered.

Helga giggled, and Arnold realized that he liked it when she laughed. "Yes you are."

"Whatever," Arnold said, but a light smile covered his features as he looked away.

"So what's the real reason for you guys to be here?" Helga asked, pocketing her hands.

Arnold sighed through his nostrils, and gave up, "We came to frighten your little boyfriend." He snorted, "That wuss can't stand horrors and Gerald thought it'd be funny." Arnold looked down, realizing how childish he sounded. He expected Helga to scold him.

"Hey, hey, hey! Whoa there, bucko! Seth is _not _my BOYFRIEND!" She made a gagging noise, "_What_ on EARTH made you think _that_? I wouldn't date that little twerp if my life depended on it!"

"Says the girl who's _currently_ on a date with him," Arnold mused with a sarcastically sweet smile. Helga lightly punched his arm.

"I'm only on this date to get him off my back," Helga reminded him.

"Why don't you want to go out with him?" Arnold asked; his green eyes lightly troubled by this question. Every girl in school would kill to be in Helga's position.

Helga shrugged, "I don't like him _or_ his cockiness. Just because he has a slightly attractive body doesn't mean he's every girl's type."

"Uh, yes he is," Arnold said.

"Well he's not my type," Helga shrugged, "Now come on, I want to see what you and Gerald have in mind," she grinned mischievously.

Arnold chuckled and held the door open for her.

Seth gulped as he watched a dead woman creep up behind the hot chick.

"Hey," Helga said and smiled as she sat down again.

"Mmm…" Seth mumbled, too scared to form words. Helga grinned evilly and nodded towards Gerald, who was enlightened by Arnold that Helga had saw them and she was in on the plan. He grinned and poked Seth cautiously on his left shoulder. Seth yelped out of fear. Helga coughed to hide her laughs, almost taking pity on the boy.

They kept on tormenting the boy throughout the movie. Helga found it hard not to look over her shoulder or laugh at Seth. Some time later Helga glanced at Arnold and saw that he was about to drop ice down Seth's seat. He froze, noticing Seth looking at Helga. He was about to follow her gaze, but Helga had quickly followed Arnold's gaze. She saw Seth slowly turning his head, but her hand rested on his cheek forcefully, effectively stopping him from looking at Arnold.

The next moment her lips were on his to distract him. It only lasted a second, of course.

She distanced herself from him immediately and chuckled at his expression. Right on cue the movie ended and the credits began rolling. "Listen, Seth, I had an amazing time, but I need to go." She rolled her eyes as she noticed all three boys, without noticing each other or realizing it, stared at her in shock.

"Wow… She has awesome lips… So soft," Seth murmured, which set a flame in Arnold eyes as he dashed out the theater, ready to practically murder Helga.

Helga smirked as she exited the theater and counted the seconds off in her mind.

"_3…"_ She pocketed her hands smugly, staring straightforward as she kept on walking.

"_2…"_ She imagined what Phoebe would say…

"_1." _She grinned.

"What the hell, Helga?" Arnold's angry voice reached her ears right on time. She slowly turned around and stared up to Arnold questioningly, keeping an innocent façade.

"What?" Helga asked.

"You barely know that guy!" Arnold snarled, completely letting his walls drop. He was, for the first time, showing Helga how he felt about something. She was both thrilled and angry.

"Why should that stop me? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I just saved your ass back there!" Helga scoffed.

"You didn't have to kiss him!"

"Heh, it _did_ work," Helga smirked.

"Too well," Arnold kept his face void from any emotions, trying not to snap.

"So? If he tries anything at school I'll just kick his ass," Helga shrugged.

"Helga, this isn't elementary anymore. You're not that strong. He's much stronger than you. You can't act like a bully, because it's gonna backfire," Arnold warned.

Helga laughed heartily. "I can easily put _you_ in the hospital if I want to, Hair boy."

Arnold looked surprised while he turned to her with an amused expression. He began walking towards her, forcing her to walk backwards to control the space between them. Inwardly cursing, Helga felt cold bricks stopping her from moving. He had her blocked into a wall. She finally looked up into his eyes, defeated.

"Au contraire, Helga, that's quite the opposite." Arnold smirked darkly, but kept an amused expression. While he said this, he brushed a blond lock out of her eyes. He realized what he had done and shrugged it off as if it was nothing. However, this triggered a spark in both the blonds' minds about their post feelings. He placed a hand on each side of her head to trap her.

"Oh?" she whispered, her soft velvet voice ringing in his ears. Arnold suddenly realized he would lose control around her soon. He noticed he close their bodies were, and how easy it would be to just… _kiss _her_…_

Slowly but surely his lips came down to hers. He lightly trailed his fingers down her arms before lightly and loosely enveloping her waist. His touches were so light, so gentle; it made Helga dizzy.

The second before his mouth met hers, her lips moved to his right ear to avoid the kiss. Though she had moved quickly, her lips lightly brushed his cheek. _"Walk me home,"_ Helga whispered softly. It was more of a demand than a mere request. He looked down and chuckled while removing his hands from her waist. He looked up to see a grinning Helga. Her blue eyes were teasing him.

"Sure," Arnold smiled. He was slowly letting his barrier down around her. He didn't like it, but decided that he would worry about that later. With a brief conversation over the phone with Gerald, Arnold had let him know that he was taking Helga home.

The trip to her new house, which was surprisingly close to the boarding house, went by in silence. Helga had tried starting conversations, but Arnold always answered curtly. The evening had turned out to be cold, and Helga hadn't planned for that. Arnold noticed out of the corner of his eyes Helga shivering and offered her his jacket. She took it with a smile and murmured a 'thanks'. He nodded.

He had been quiet and curt to Helga, but in reality he was burning with desire to be close to her again. The fact that she didn't give him the satisfaction of kissing him, made him want to kiss her all the more. She had managed to drive him insane faster than any other girl, and he didn't like it. He always got the girl he wanted, despite his reputation of breaking girls' hearts.

Much to Arnold's immense disappointment, they ended their journey quicker than he expected. When they reached the front porch step, Arnold chuckled inwardly. She was actually on a date with Seth, yet here she was standing by him. This gave him a level of satisfaction and he grinned smugly.

"Bye, Arnold," Helga smiled and opened the door with her house key, "and thanks, you really saved me tonight."

With that she slowly closed the door, leaving Arnold with his thoughts.

He left towards his house, unknowingly with a smile gracing his lips.


	5. Seth again

"I don't know what it means, Phoebes," Helga murmured, her forefinger and thumb lightly pinching her top lip in concentration. "He wanted to kiss me, while he still had a girlfriend."

"Actually, Helga, if my contacts are one hundred percent correct, Arnold broke things off with Veronice the day you accepted Seth's invitation."

Helga's mouth dropped open. That Jerk! He left Veronice and went straight to kissing her! Well, trying to, anyway… "Really?"

"I'm ninety-nine point nine percent sure that he did, Helga."

"And he tried a move on me? That bastard! Well, he won't get what he wants this time." Helga frowned with determination, "Not with me, he won't."

The next Monday Helga avoided him at all costs. Though she wanted to see him, she reminded herself of what a low life he was. He thought nothing of women. But that was hard to believe, since he was always kind to everyone, albeit a little closed off, but kind none the less. He always opened doors for women and he treated his teachers with respect. It was hard to avoid him. He was always around the corner. She was either subconsciously following him, or he was following her. Both were highly unlikely, though.

In the classes that she had with him, she felt his eyes on her. She shrugged it off. The next class she couldn't help but think about him, even though she scolded herself for it. When it was finally lunch she saw that there was a crowd forming outside school. The kids cheered on two guys who're fighting. While she curiously walked toward the crowd she heard voices from kids who were passing her to eagerly watch the fight.

"Man, those two were bound to start a fight someday!" One kid exclaimed.

"I wonder what they're fighting about?" Another kid shouted to no-one in particular.

When Helga saw Gerald heading to the crowd with a determined expression, Helga became worried. What if it was Arnold? This thought made Helga break into a jog as she desperately wanted to calm her nerves and make sure it wasn't him.

She pushed through the crowd and gasped as she saw two bloodied boys hitting each other. It was Seth and Arnold. She stepped into the circle that formed for the two boys without thinking it through. Arnold looked up and upon noticing Helga, automatically let his guard down.

"Helga?" He asked as if not believing that she stood there. Suddenly a fist met Arnold's lip and he fell to the floor, groaning. Helga gasped and her face contorted into anger. How DARE Seth even _touch_ Arnold!

She fumed as she turned to Seth. He looked pretty beaten up. He was in a worse state than Arnold, which indicated that he was getting his ass kicked. Oddly she felt proud. She trudged toward him and slapped him hard across the face. For a second everyone froze and stared at her in shock. Then the cheering began again. She prepared to throw a punch, but he caught her wrist before she could. He yanked her roughly close to him and gripped her tighter.

"How about another kiss?" He sneered and tried to set his lips on hers. She could smell his awful onion breath as she tried to release herself from his hold.

"Seth, stop it! You asshole," Helga snarled, but winced as he increased his hold on her. He was hurting her. Suddenly Helga realized Arnold was right about yet another thing. She wasn't that strong anymore. This thought made her eyes widen as she yanked harder in sheer fear.

She considered begging him to let go when a force slammed into him. This automatically forced him to let her go. He flew through the air and landed with a painful thump on the pavement. Arnold stood over Seth with pure hate in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to murder Seth right then and there. He probably would've, hadn't Gerald stepped in and placed a hand on Arnold's shoulder.

"He's not worth it, man," Gerald said calmly. Arnold looked into Gerald's eyes, and sobered up. He turned to Seth, who was starting to stand up, but failing.

"Don't _ever _touch her again," He murmured calmly, finding it hard to control his anger. He was usually peaceful. He avoided fights, but Seth had gone too far. "If I catch you even _speaking _to her…" He couldn't finish, as he saw a picture of Seth hurting Helga flash in his mind. He growled and Seth whimpered. Arnold was about to lose what little control he had and smash his fist into Seth's face, but a soft familiar hand grasped his arm. He turned his head to find Helga clutching his arm with both her hands. She was standing very close to him and he slowly melted inside. Outside he just shook his head and sighed.

"Can someone please get this bastard to a nurse?" He called out and turned away from Seth.

"You alright man?" Gerald asked from his other side.

"I'm fine," Arnold said and he walked away from the crowd which was dispersing. Helga was walking alongside him; her arms still snaked around his arm in a death grip. Arnold didn't mind at all. Gerald walked on his other side.

"I don't know man…" Gerald shook his head, examining his best friend. His whole face and both of his hands were covered in dried blood. "Look at you. You're covered in blood."

Arnold smirked. "It's Seth's blood." He felt Helga flinch beside him and glanced at her. Her hands had loosely enveloped his forearm. She looked pretty shaken. He took one of her hands and squeezed it. She looked down at their hands, blushed and looked up into his eyes. The fire seemed to be returning to them.

"Don't worry Gerald. I'll take him to the nurse's office. Go and find Phoebe." Helga said, her voice growing stronger with each passing word. Much to Arnold's disappointment, she let his arm go.

Gerald nodded and went to find Phoebe.

Helga took his hand again, but only to urge him to walk with her. Once he did, she let go. The walk to the nurse was silent. Upon entering it, they found that no-one was there. Frustrated, Helga growled.

"Hello?" She called out loudly. No-one answered. "Humph." She crossed her arms. "Guess I'll be the one to fix you up." She muttered.

"Fine," Arnold simply said, though inwardly he was glad that he wouldn't have to deal with the nurse's unending stream of questions.

"Sit," Helga ordered him.

"No," Arnold replied.

Helga growled and glared at him. "Arnold Shortman, sit right now or I'm going to force you."

Arnold playfully shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "No," He repeated. Helga huffed and pushed him backwards into a small bed that was thankfully just behind him. Unfortunately, neither realized that the floor has just been washed and was severely slippery. Helga yelped as she landed on top of Arnold. She lifted her head to meet his curious stare. A low laugh erupted from inside Arnold. Helga was about to argue and scold him for being childish, but she found that she couldn't deny those playful green eyes and those laughing lips. She soon joined in with laughter as she lay on him.

Someone behind them gasped. Their laughs died in their throat as they froze. "What on earth are you two doing?" A short plump woman in her forties stared at them in shock.

Helga immediately jumped off of Arnold, blushing crimson red. "Uh, sorry nurse, I… we… um, the floor is slippery?" Helga tried to explain. Arnold sat up and smirked. "Nothing happened, Sue. She just slipped and fell on top of me. I thought it was quite funny, actually," Arnold smiled.

Sue squinted to get a better view of the boy sitting on the bed. "Arnold?"

"Yep," Arnold grinned.

"I haven't seen you in a while!" The nurse gave Arnold a hug and turned to Helga. She put on her thick glasses. "No worries, dear. Now, what happened here?" She asked, noticing all the blood on Arnold. His lip and nose was bleeding pretty bad.

"Child, what did you do?" Sue asked, slightly alarmed. Arnold huffed, not bothering to answer. Sue pondered for a second whether she should pursue the matter further or to leave it alone. She decided she'd let it go when she met his pleading eyes. Obviously he didn't want the girl standing next to him to know what happened.

"Save the story for later. Let's fix you up." Suddenly a cell phone started ringing and Helga jumped. The whole situation had made her quite jittery. "Oh, excuse me dears. It's urgent. Listen..." She paused, realizing she didn't know what the girl's name was.

"Helga," Arnold offered.

"Helga, would you just clean Arnold over here up for me? I don't want either of you to miss class and this call will take a while…" She said. "All the supplies are in the cupboard next to you."

"Sure, ma'am," Helga smiled shakily.

"Sue dear! Call me Sue," Sue smiled and patted Helga on the back. "Excuse me," she said before disappearing out the door.

"Wow, she's nice," Helga murmured as she fetched all the stuff she needed.

"Yeah," Arnold replied. Helga knelt before Arnold as she took a wet cloth and ran it softly across his face, arms and hands. He flinched when she neared his busted lip. "Arnold," Helga began cautiously, "what caused the fight?" Helga asked as she bit her lip nervously.

"Nothing," Arnold said calmly. Helga stared at him with a disbelieving look. She pressed harder on his bruise with a stern look. He flinched and glared at her. "You don't just fight, Arnold. You're not that type."

"How would you know?" Arnold replied with an edge in his deep voice. Helga just stared at him with a blunt, bored expression.

Arnold sighed and looked down. This girl knew him too well, he decided. Helga frowned and placed the cloth next to Arnold. She reached for his hands with her own. This caused him to look into her eyes. "Tell me what happened. What did he do?" He stayed silent for a while, and Helga had started to massage the back of his left hand with her thumb, waiting patiently for him to answer.

"He…" Arnold tried to find the right words. "He… said… stuff about you. In the hall. He said that you're easy…" Arnold fumed, getting madder with every word. He tried to go on, but he glared so hard into nothing he was unable to continue.

Helga first tensed when he heard this. She got angry. But she knew it wouldn't help Arnold now. She calmed herself down and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt him tense, before relaxing in her arms.

"Thank you," she whispered. Slowly, she placed her lips on his cheek. Holding it there for a second, then she moved to his bruises. One by one, she kissed them softly, careful to not hurt him. Finally she kissed his busted lip, carefully holding her lips there for a second longer. She smiled at his dazed expression. She slowly licked her lips and tasted blood. His hands were around her waist, making it clear that she couldn't move.

"Helga…" He murmured, slowly pulling her to him even more, determined to touch her soft lips again. They were utterly and completely mesmerizing. He'd never taste lips so seductive. She'd put him in a trance yet again. No wonder Seth wanted her.

His lips almost found hers, and she didn't pull away this time. Their lips were about to meet when they heard footsteps. Helga jumped up out of his grip and blushed again. Arnold almost groaned.

"Sorry that took so long, dears. Oh, I see you cleaned him up! Just that busted lip that's left," Sue smiled. At the mention of his lips, Helga instinctively licked her own, making sure there was no more blood. Arnold saw this and frowned further. It was almost _cruel _not to have her in his arms. Grumpily, he crossed his arms with a loud huff.

"_This is a dream," _Arnold smirked grimly. It simply had to be. He didn't believe what happened in the last five minutes. He didn't want to. He didn't want to be like the rest of the male student body who fell for her feisty charm, her interesting charisma, her amazing insight or her good looks. Yet the thought of her kissing – or even liking – any other guy other than himself made him growl instinctively. He felt an instantaneous urge to protect her, shield her away from those who were not worthy of her presence. Subconsciously he stood closer to her. He shook himself out of his thoughts and stared into two women's suspecting eyes. Helga's eyes seemed more interested and curious than Sue's. Her beautiful blue eyes seemed to look past his façade of shrugging, and he knew he was going to be questioned later. Oddly, he looked forward to it.

A smirk came to his lips when he replayed the scene over and over in his head. How soft and warm her lips felt against his skin… How he leaned into her touch when she came to the busted lip… How her hands had been resting on his broad shoulders… and how amazing it had felt to have her undivided attention.

Helga seemed to read his thoughts, because she blushed fiercely when his half-lidded eyes had been looking at her. "I'd better go… Phoebe will be waiting for me…"

"Of course dear! Thank you for helping me," Sue smiled and waved at once.

Without another word, or glance at Arnold, she left the room in a hurry.


	6. Emily

"This is bad, Gerald," Arnold quietly said.

"Why?" Gerald asked frowning as he tried to concentrate on his math homework.

"Because! She's gotten under my skin," Arnold groaned.

"And…" Gerald balanced his pencil on his nose, looking at it with both eyes.

"That's not good!"

"Because…" Gerald asked nonchalantly.

"She's gonna hurt me, tear me limb from limb apart!"

For a moment Gerald just stared at him with incredulous yet amused eyes. "'Limb from limb'? Bro, that's a bit melodramatic, don't you think?"

Arnold grunted, "Not when you know you're letting a girl slowly rip out your heart." He replied bitterly.

Gerald sighed. "Have you ever thought of it as actually falling in love?"

Arnold froze. He'd never thought about it before… _Love_… it was such a strange word; he didn't really recall it being in his vocabulary. He knew he was experiencing various feelings towards Helga, like being jealous and protective and having the crazy urge to want to hold her close all the time, but that was to be expected with a goddess like her…

He shook his head as if trying to rid himself from these thoughts. He was _not _in love. He growled at Gerald. How could his best friend even make that assumption? He barely even knew Helga. For all he knew, she could've been a secret assassin trying to assassinate him! He blinked. Okay, that was a bit extreme. Surely she wasn't here to _kill_ him. If Gerald had heard that thought he would've busted up laughing.

"Gerald, stop being ridiculous for one second," Arnold said finally. Gerald rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious, man, I swear I see some funky chemistry between the two of ya," Gerald absentmindedly said, refocusing on his homework. Arnold stayed silent, opting not to answer. The bell rang and free period was over. Arnold stood up and Gerald packed away his stuff. They were headed to the cafeteria to meet up with Phoebe and Helga. When they reached the cafeteria they saw the girls already waiting for them at their usual table. Arnold felt himself automatically rest his eyes on Helga, drinking in her loveliness.

"Hey Phoebe," Gerald greeted and kissed her forehead. "Hey Pataki, how's things?" He asked, sitting down next to Arnold and across from Phoebe.

Helga shrugged, taking a sip from her chocolate milk. She smiled wryly, glancing at Phoebe. In return Phoebe blushed. Arnold arched an eyebrow, and was about to question these actions when a pretty-looking girl walked up to their table. Pretty-looking, yes, but he couldn't help but glance at Helga as a reflex. She was still the one who unknowingly forced him to always stare at her beauty. He growled instinctively as he caught another guy from across the room also looking at her.

He was snapped out of it with a nudge from Gerald. He looked at the girl again, who was staring at the floor, blushing fiercely. She seemed to be talking.

"Anyway, would you come with me?" He racked his brain for a solution to answering in a way that would convince her that he'd been listening. He came up with nothing.

"Sorry, come again?" He pathetically asked. He must've looked like an idiot.

"Um, w-would you c-come with me to this party?" The girl stuttered. Out of the corner of his eye, Arnold saw Helga tighten her grip on her chocolate milk. He smirked for a second, remembering how jealous she had gotten the very first day she got here, many months ago. But he'd learned from that time.

"I'm sorry, but I don't recall meeting you… Excuse me for my forgetfulness," He chuckled lowly as he saw her eyes widen, her blush deepen, and Helga's smirk emerge.

"Oh! How stupid of me… I moved here just after Helga did," The girl spluttered, looking down again. Arnold frowned slightly at this. She wasn't a maid or anything. Why did she treat him like her master? "We weren't formally introduced to each other." Before he could ask her name, Helga giggled. For a second Arnold forgot to breathe.

"Yo, Emily, how's tricks? Missed ya at dance studio yesterday. Anyway, when's the party?" Helga asked, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

"This Saturday, Helga, but unfortunately, I can only invite one person," Emily hid her smirk, but Arnold caught it before it vanished. He didn't like her tone, either. It sounded like she was smug about asking him before Helga had a chance to. Immediately Arnold took a dislike to the girl. As if anyone could even think of comparing themselves to Helga… Idiots.

"Oh, Rhonda's party?" Helga asked, putting an innocent façade on. Arnold could tell she caught the smirk too, because he noticed how Helga was struggling to keep on being polite.

Emily's face dropped. "Yes," She said curtly.

"Yeah I thought it'd be her party, 'cause everybody's gonna be there."

"Yeah," Emily said, sounding a tad too smug and excited about that fact. As if it was an elite party. Arnold had to laugh at that. To the rest of the school, being invited to a party hosted by Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd was extreme. It meant you were 'cool' and one of the chosen. But the old gang was automatically invited every time. This made them seem extremely sought after and highly thought of.

"We four declined our invites because we're already going to another little party." Helga said, doing a good job at sounding innocent and looking oblivious and thoughtful at the same time. She sounded like it was just another party they'd miss.

"Oh," Emily said, trying not to look disappointed.

Helga, enjoying payback, added, "And unfortunately Arnold's _mine _for the whole evening. So maybe next time?" She sweetly asked, reaching for Arnold's hand, lacing their fingers. It looked so natural; Emily could've sworn that they were an item. But she knew better.

"Oh, there'll _definitely _be a next time, Helga," Emily murmured, walking away.

Helga rolled her eyes, starting to let go of Arnold's hand. Upon finding that he was clinging onto hers, she looked up into his gorgeous green eyes. They were silently pleading for answers. Deciding to leave her hand in his, she took a bite out of her apple. Noticing Gerald and Phoebe also staring at her, she grinned.

"_What_? We actually _do _have another party. Our own," She explained.

Phoebe nodded. "We do have a prior engagement, boys."

Helga, noisily slurping her milk, merely nodded. Arnold moved closer to her, making it easier to hold her hand. He smiled. She looked like a five-year-old with her chocolate milk.

"What would that be, honey?" Gerald asked, frowning in confusion.

"W-well… Helga and I thought, um, i-if you guys want to, we, ah…" Phoebe fidgeted with her fingers, her blush darkening with each passing word.

"Hell, Phoebe, it sounds as if you're asking them to have sex with us!" Helga burst out laughing.

Arnold chuckled at Phoebe's widened eyes and reddened face as she glared accusingly at Helga, while Helga was continuingly laughing. Gerald looked in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"H-Helga!" Phoebe scolded, "You can't just say things like that!"

"And who's gonna stop me, brainiac?" Helga smiled at her best friend.

Arnold decided he should help Phoebe, concluding, "I am." _With my lips…_

Helga just laughed and rolled her eyes. "Sure, Arnold. Now anyway, you two are going to be joining us Saturday evening for a movie festival. We're gonna watch five movies. My place, six o'clock. Get it? Got it? Good."

The next few days flew by. Arnold didn't notice. All he could think about is Saturday night. Which was the next day.

They were sleeping over, but of course with adult supervision and each person would sleep in their respectable rooms. Arnold had to laugh at that. As if Olga could stop him if he wanted to sleep next to Helga. He had a cunning ability to disappear when he wanted to.

The boys arrived at the Pataki household with Arnold's car; since he was the only one who knew where she lived besides Phoebe.

They rang the doorbell in anticipation; not knowing what to expect.

"Greetings, mortals," Helga snickered as she opened the door. She was already in her pajamas, consisting of a white tank top and flannel pants a size too big for her.

Arnold chuckled and stepped around her into the house with Gerald following him.


	7. Arnold and Helga

"Just… because! Damn it Helga, just drop it!" Arnold whispered harshly, his face hovering dangerously close to hers. Helga blinked. How the HELL did she get herself in this situation so quickly? Of course. She just _had_ to ask that one stupid question. She had to pursue the matter further when he just brushed her off. She just had to. Now Arnold was breathing heavily, his body inches away from hers. He was fuming, glaring at her hatefully. _Why_ did she have to bring it up? When Arnold had realized that she wasn't going to let go of the subject, he had dragged her to the kitchen, away from their interested best friends, and locked the door behind him.

Now in hushed whispers, they were arguing. "Why are you being so secretive, Arnold?" She asked seriously, touching his bare forearm. It was hard concentrating on him when he was topless and so angry. Man, he sure was sexy when he was _that_ cross. Helga slowly licked her bottom lip and slightly bit into it, trying to look up into his eyes and regain focus. Why was she so entranced?

"I'm not secretive! I just… You… Err… Why do you want to know, anyway?" Arnold scoffed and tore away from her.

Helga shrugged indifferently, "Curious."

"It's none of your business…" Arnold glared. Helga frowned. Not uttering a single word, Helga swiftly turned her body away from him, starting to make her way to the kitchen's door, which Arnold had locked. A strong big hand engulfed her right wrist however, effectively stopping her escape. She grumbled. She quickly turned to face him and give her a pace of her mind, but his lips stopped her. That was it. Arnold had finally cracked. Helga had cracked him. At first, she tried to protest and push him away, but he was one step ahead of her, knowing she'd try to escape. His strong arms were fully enveloping her waist, and she slowly fluttered her eyes close, accepting defeat. Arnold ended the kiss against his will, but still held her tightly to him. His pleading eyes met her dumbfounded ones.

And just like that he let go of her again, which made her stumble, because her weak knees didn't expect to uphold her own weight. She gripped onto the kitchen counter and stared at him with confused eyes.

He tried to utter a coherent word, but he was just as shocked as her.

"A-Arnold…" Helga murmured, touching her lips. She was never so forcefully kissed, but it enticed her. Once his name was heard, Arnold growled and punched the wall. Why was she making it so hard? Once he actually felt the pain he had inflicted on himself, he held his breath to hold in a cry of pain. Helga noticed Arnold's sudden silence and went to the front of his body. She saw how pained and red his face looked and took his injured hand in hers.

She chuckled, "Jeez, Arnoldo, take it easy!" She went to the fridge and extracted a pack of iced peas.

He grumbled as she took his hand again and winced slightly when she just let the pack of peas fall on his hand. "That should teach you to never punch a wall after forcefully kissing a girl," Helga joked.

Her smile turned into a frown when he set his gaze upon her. The back of her hand brushed his cheek absentmindedly as she stared up into his eyes. For some insane reason she just wanted to jump on his lap and shower him with kisses. It was beginning to become a daily urge.

"Aw, what the hell," she murmured. She quickly leaned forward and kissed him. At first he was a bit resistant, but as soon as she climbed on his lap, he lost control again and kissed her with just as much force. This enthralled Helga and she made the kiss steamier by slipping her tongue into his mouth.

Alas, pleasure was always meant for just a short period.

Arnold snapped his eyes open and tore his mouth away from hers. They were breathing heavily. Helga rested her head against his collarbone while Arnold recollected his thoughts.

"Why… are you… denying this?" Helga asked between broken breaths, resting her forehead against his.

"Long story," Arnold panted.

"I've got the time," Helga pointed out before pecking him on the lips.

Arnold thudded his head against the wall he was leaning on. As encouragement she pecked his lips again. He sighed. "When you left… my world came crumbling down. I couldn't sleep, dream, hell I never even smiled anymore. I completely stopped trusting anyone, my schoolwork and social life didn't even matter to me anymore. I started dating girls to numb the pain, but I never felt anything. That's how I earned my playboy status. I gave up on love. I never wanted to feel that pain you had unknowingly inflicted on me ever again." Helga winced, but said nothing. He closed his eyes, preparing to tell her of his grandparents' deaths. "Then, my grandparents died."

Helga's breath caught in her throat. Suddenly time stopped for her. No-one told her this. She reached for her memories of Gertie and Phil. They were so kind, generous people. Helga choked back on a sob. They were _gone?_ It didn't make sense. She didn't believe it. She didn't _want_ to believe it. They were like her family.

Another sob escaped her. Arnold silently wrapped his arms around her. He knew she wouldn't take this news too kindly. She started breathing heavily, trying to fight her way out of his arms. He was too strong for her, though.

"You didn't tell me that!" Helga shrieked. Arnold said nothing, only held her more tightly. "You never said anything! How dare you?" Helga tried to punch him, but found it kind of hard, since she was being forced against his body with his arms. She fell silent and only started to cry violently. Her tears made his shirt wet, but he didn't care. Though he tried to stay strong, he felt his own tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry Arnold… I wasn't there for you… I'm sorry," Helga whispered while still crying. She'd realized the real pain inflicted on him. While she had him now to comfort her about his own grandparents' deaths, he had no-one when it happened. And he was so young.

Arnold only let more tears spill from his eyes, but didn't make a sound. This was the first time he'd cried since… he couldn't remember.

Helga raised her head and took his face into her hands. "I'll never leave you again." Her moist lips met his in a kiss mixed with both their salty tears.

"I want to try…" He whispered, barely audible. "I thought feeling nothing is better than pain, but I'm willing to feel that pain again… If you'll have me."

Through her tears, Helga smiled. "You big dummy! I never stopped loving you." Suddenly a ton of bricks lifted from above his heart and he genuinely smiled for the first time. He took her hand and pressed her palm against the skin where his heart was beating erratically.

"My heart has always belonged to you… You're the reason it's beating so fast." Arnold murmured. Helga smirked. She took two handfuls of his t-shirt and forced his lips on hers again. She saddled his groin and pressed herself against him as hard as she could. Arnold had forgotten how this feeling felt. He felt so contented.

Helga G. Pataki had and always will have his heart.

* * *

Epilogue...?


End file.
